Doctors order ‘absolute rest’ for pope in hospital

Doctors on Saturday prescribed “absolute rest” for Pope Francis and modified the treatment for his respiratory tract infection, the Vatican said, a day after he was admitted to hospital after a week-long bout of bronchitis.

On doctors’ orders, Francis, 88, will not deliver his traditional Sunday noon blessing, which he could have done from his hospital room if he was well enough.

Francis slept well during a quiet first night in hospital, ate breakfast, read the newspapers and received the Eucharist on Saturday, alternating rest with prayer and reading during the afternoon, the Vatican said.

The Argentine pope was admitted to Rome’s Gemelli hospital on Friday after a bout of bronchitis worsened.

Preliminary tests showed that he had a respiratory tract infection, which was confirmed on Saturday.

In a late afternoon bulletin, the Vatican said that Francis had no fever on Saturday and that tests showed some improvement.

The Vatican cancelled his audiences until Monday at least.

Francis, who is prone to respiratory infections in the winter, was diagnosed with bronchitis on February 6, but had continued to hold daily audiences in his Vatican hotel suite.

He had presided at an outdoor Mass last weekend and attended his general audience on Wednesday.

But he has been handing his speeches to an aide to read aloud, saying he was having trouble breathing.

“To facilitate his recovery, the medical staff prescribed absolute rest,” a Vatican statement said.

He had 13 inches of his large intestine removed in 2021 because of a narrowing of the colon.

He had further abdominal surgery in 2023 to remove intestinal scar tissue and repair a hernia.

He uses a wheelchair, walker or cane when moving around his apartment and recently fell twice, hurting his arm and chin.

The Gemelli hospital has a private suite for popes on the 10th floor.

Francis said that during a 2023 stay in hospital he was diagnosed with “an acute and strong pneumonia, in the lower part of the lungs”.

Sometimes bronchitis can lead to pneumonia, a deeper and far more serious infection of the lungs’ air sacs.

Doctors may detect pneumonia by listening for a crackling or whistling sound in the lungs while the patient breathes, but often other tests are needed, including a chest X-ray and pulse oximetry that measures how much oxygen is in the blood.

Treatment varies by severity but can include providing oxygen through a nasal tube or mask, intravenous fluids and treatment of the underlying cause of the infection.